


Perpetuity

by saintprivilege



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hotel, Kim Mingyu - Freeform, Kim Mingyu is Whipped, M/M, Seventeen - Freeform, Travel, heir!mingyu, my first fanfic pls dont wreck me lmao, writer!wonwoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 21:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16395344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintprivilege/pseuds/saintprivilege
Summary: ‘It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.' Mingyu goes on a trip to beautiful Positano, Italy, to find himself. When he meets a fellow Korean in the foreign town, an interesting companionship is formed, between one who confronts real life but suffers in it, and another who indulges in fantasy and deludes himself. 'Sometimes, a dream is all you need to make sense of reality.'





	1. ZERO

_**ZERO** _

When Mingyu opened his eyes it seemed as if all his senses rushed toward him; an excited murmur of voices, old and young, eager and restless to escape; the smell of coffee, almost jolting awake the minds of weary travellers; the taste of mint, a piece of gum he had been chewing on for a while now; a discernible bell sound that echoed in the departure hall, signalling for him to board his plane. 

Rising up from his seat, the man clad in a navy Burberry trench extended the arm of his luggage and took his spot in the boarding queue. ‘First class’, ‘Incheon Int’l Airport (IIA) > Napoli-Capodichino Airport (NAP)’, ‘One way’, read his boarding pass. The brunette bit his lip, moving forward with the proceeding queue. I need this, Mingyu reassured himself. He stepped forward to the counter, allowing the air steward to scan the code on his boarding pass and permit entry to the plane. 

As Mingyu walked with brisk step through the extended corridor leading onto the plane, he caught the view from the glass windows, revealing the ground level bustle: air traffic controllers, vehicles shuttling cargo from place to place and planes in taxi, both arriving and departing. Mingyu also caught a glimpse of his own reflection. He looked fatigued, in a true, all-encompassing meaning of the word; dark circles surrounded his eyes and his posture was bent forward with weariness that he suspected developed over the years, not from a mere night of bad sleep (although he was a victim of that too). Straightening his back, Mingyu took a sharp inhale of chill air-conditioned air, tinged with the slightly alien scent of diesel that had invaded the corridor, and walked forth into his cabin. 

The kind, senior-looking air steward personally ushered him to his window seat toward the front of the plane, before leaving him to his own devices after wishing him a pleasant journey. ‘A pleasant journey,’ Mingyu hummed under his breath as he removed his top coat, placing both it and his chrome black Rimowa carry-on in the overhead compartment. He knew the man had meant for him to enjoy the plane ride, and yet, something about the notion of those three words rang in his head with restless delight. 

Mingyu pushed the long sleeves of his fuzzy grey pull-over sweater up to his elbows and leaned back in his plush reclining seat before pulling out the travel guide from the netted pocket in front of him. '10 Places You Must Visit in Italy This Summer.’ He flitted through the pages and found himself fixated on the page dedicated to his very own destination: Positano. Glimmering azure waters and vivid sunset hues greeted him. I need this, his mind reiterated with conviction, and it’ll be good. It will be great.

With a slight nod of his head and pursed lips, Mingyu returned the guide to its original location and pulled out his earphones and phone from his pocket. And with a slight lurch of the plane backward, he could tell that they were about to begin their ‘journey’ west. He plugged in, setting his music to shuffle and watched with wondrous, puppy-like spirit as the plane aligned itself at the beginning of the runway, and took off. 

Over and above the buildings and roads of Seoul, Mingyu took in the yellow glow of streetlamp lights lining the veins of the city. It felt as if he had been let out of a numbing prison, one he had endured in for far too long. 

The twenty-four-year-old turned away from the oval window and stared into the dimly lit cabin. What if he made a mistake? What if he returns and nothing’s the same as it was? What was he running toward, or away from, exactly? 

_‘But you’re not gonna like the story if you know how it ends,’_ sang the voice into his ear, lulling him into a soft slumber. 

He closed his eyes, anticipating his wake to enthral his senses in a different way, with sights, smells, sounds and tastes of a fresh start.


	2. ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Travelling places, haven't seen you in ages - but I hope you come back to me.'

_**ONE** _

With a muffled groan, Mingyu disembarked the coach he had taken from the airport to the quaint seaside town of Positano, Italy. The twelve-hour flight hadn’t been as pleasant as he wished it was, the three-hour bumpy bus ride even worse, but that didn’t dampen his spirit. Mingyu was resolved to enjoy his trip, no matter where it took him — simply as long as it was far, far away from his life back in Korea. 

While he was asleep, the bus he took had traversed the side of the cliff on which the town was located, and had wound up by the docks of the village. Mingyu took in his surroundings; it was as if he had been transported into an oil painting. The sky seemed to be an impossible blue, streaked across with dashes of pure white clouds; the seas were a dark, alluring turquoise, with a texture that lent it a character of both playfulness and risk; the sea breeze carried with it a wash of salt and fragrance from the flowers, in full bloom at this time in Spring, that seemed to line the buildings and streets; and the buildings, painted in various vibrant colours, mimicked the sunset and sea. 

It was everything Mingyu had dreamed of and more. 

Mingyu caught himself getting carried away with the beauty of the town, and snapped himself back to reality. La Serenità, Mingyu reminded himself, that’s where I’ll be heading. Strolling along the cobbled promenade, which at the time of eleven in the morning seemed to buzz with increasing business, Mingyu abided by the directions instructed to him by an app on his phone, which led him quickly to the hotel front of a red building. The name of the hotel was spelt out in cursive font on a wooden signboard that hung off of the building’s side. With toothy grin, Mingyu pulled his luggage behind him and stepped through the doors of the building. 

What greeted the tall gentleman first was the upbeat soul music that played from within the lobby. The old-time piano and trumpet sounds, married with the upbeat rhythm and percussion breathed life into the white-walled waiting room. The room was decorated with tall palms and plants, and embellished with rich blue and yellow furniture that seemed to Mingyu to have come straight out of an interior design magazine. The clacking of Mingyu’s shoes reverberated in the room, that was largely empty save for a couple of incomplete parties of people engaged in lively banter, who seemed to be waiting for their groups to have fully gathered before starting their day. Approaching the counter, he felt a familiar sense of anxiety rise in his chest — he would have to converse in English to settle his rooming arrangements. Despite Mingyu pursuing higher education at one of the most established universities back in Korea, he had always managed to get by without full proficiency in the second language.

‘Good morning sir, how may I help you today?’ A blonde hotel employee greeted him cheerfully.

‘I-uh, room-uh… reserve…’ Mingyu stuttered out, met with a polite, yet visibly confused series of blinks from the lady at the counter. 

‘Ah, you have made a prior reservation with us? By any chance are you Mr Kim? Kim Mingyu?’ 

‘Yes yes.’ 

‘Perfect! If you’d allow me just a moment then.’ The lady replied, walking around the counter toward a coffee table where an elderly Caucasian couple was in conversation with a tall, brown-haired gentlemen dressed in a pressed white shirt and beige chino trousers held up by suspenders. The lady from the counter tapped on the gentleman’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear, causing him to turn around to look at Mingyu. And that was the moment Mingyu felt truly as if he were submerged in a dream. 

The first thing Mingyu noticed was how sharp his features were, fox-like even, from his eyes to his nose to his lips. And yet, something of a soft smirk laced his mouth as he glanced toward Mingyu’s direction, and that was when Mingyu felt something sharp in his chest instead. The slim man’s gravitas was undeniably graceful, from the way he interlaced his fingers in front of him as he spoke, to the way he rounded off the conversation he had with the elderly couple, with an almost lingering charm as he began to move away from the table they were seated in front of, and began to move toward the counter Mingyu was at. 

‘You must be Mr Kim! Hello, my name is Wonwoo.’ His words, in Korean, seemed to spill from the tips of his mouth like honey down the side of a bowl. Languid and low-pitched, but far from intimidating. The man stepped behind the counter, replacing the lady that previously helped Mingyu.

‘Yes, that’s me.’ Mingyu managed out, unsure of why he encountered such difficulty articulating three very simple words to the man in front of him. The gentleman flipped through a guest-record of sorts. Mingyu couldn’t help but notice how delicate the other’s fingers looked, cross-checking his details from the documents Mingyu had handed to him and as he dragged his index finger down the length of a couple of pages, before finally locating Mingyu’s name and reservation. 

‘One-bedroom Suite with a sea view, for five days, tentatively, is that correct?’ Wonwoo inquired, brows raised ever so slightly, to which Mingyu nodded in affirmation. ‘Fantastic! Since we have all your payment details in check, why don’t I show you to your room.’ Grabbing a paper sleeve containing a key-card, Wonwoo emerged from behind the counter and reached for Mingyu’s bag. 

‘It’s really fine, I can manage.’ Mingyu responded to the shorter gentleman’s gesture, to which Wonwoo gave a courteous smile and nod. Mingyu noticed the flash of a crinkle that Wonwoo’s nose made as he smiled, and, with an uneven skip of his heart, yearned to see it again. 

‘You’re Korean.’ Mingyu remarked, realising how he had been distracted by Wonwoo’s appearance and charm to even ask him the most obvious of questions. The pair made their way through the corridor into the lift, en route to the fourth floor.

‘Yes,’ Wonwoo replied with a slight giggle, ‘I realise it is quite odd to see a Korean working in an establishment somewhere as far-off as this town of Positano, and not on vacation like yourself.’

‘Not odd. It’s quite refreshing to speak Korean to someone so far away from home. It feels… comfortable.’

‘I can say the same for you. It’s been a while since I spoke in Korean to someone. But yes, I guess I have a degree in hotel management, an interest in meeting new people and a passion for beautiful places — if that justifies my job here.’ Wonwoo replied.

‘Beautiful people belong in beautiful places.’ Mingyu let the words slip past his lips, gaze hovering over Wonwoo’s image a bit too long, before even realising what he had said. Wonwoo lowered his head slightly, averting his gaze from Mingyu. Was that a tinge of a blush Mingyu saw spreading on Wonwoo’s cheeks?

The pair of gentlemen exited the lift and walked to the end of a corridor, at which Wonwoo removed the key-card from its sleeve and unlocked the door to the sea view suite. Inside, the suite was elegantly furnished, from its cream accents to the Italian craft wood furniture. Colourful prints decorated pillows and tapestries hung up on empty spaces on the walls, which were also embellished with photographs of the seaside town. To his left, Mingyu spotted a grand bathroom with white marble surfaces and porcelain sinks, balanced out with a huge mirror in front of the two sinks. Above all, however, was the balcony, that stretched out toward the sea, granting Mingyu a breathtaking view of the ocean. He could get used to this, Mingyu thought — but perhaps he wouldn’t want to, and would want to continue to feel new, successive waves of sheer wonder from the beauty of the cliff-side village. 

‘It seems like you like the room!’ Wonwoo snapped Mingyu out of his thoughts.

‘It’s perfect.’ Mingyu replied, still enamoured by the suite, allowing his restless eyes to hop from corner to corner of the room, before resting upon the figure of the man accompanying him.

Wonwoo chuckled. ‘I’m so glad you like it. If that’ll be all, I will take my leave now. Do let me know if you have any other needs during your stay. It would be my pleasure to assist you!’ Wonwoo said with a smile, before backing out of the double door entrance of the suite and closing the doors — leaving Mingyu in solitude in his corner of paradise, eyes still glued to the vacuum of space the other man seemed to leave behind in the room.

Mingyu let out a more-than-audible exhale after hearing the doors close with a click, realising that he felt as if he had been holding his breath the entire time spent with Wonwoo on the way to the suite. He let a soft smile grow and spread across his face as he sat down by his bed, eventually laying down with a ‘plop’ down onto the cloud-soft duvet. 

If Mingyu had known that he was going to have his breath stolen from him so many times in a mere half a day, he would have reconsidered planning this trip. That being said, Mingyu found himself sketching out an impression of Wonwoo’s picture in his mind’s canvas — setting a timer to count down the hours and minutes he’d have to wait for that picture to come to life in front of him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! They meet! Ok so the reason why I named the first chapter 'ZERO' and this one 'ONE' was mostly because I felt that the first chapter was more of an introduction / prelude to the story where we get to set up the main perspective of Mingyu and kind of create a preliminary atmosphere to get you acquainted with what to expect in time to come! After writing this chapter I realised I use a lot of references to Wonwoo's fingers... odd... AHAHHA but I hope you enjoyed it anyway :P


	3. TWO

_**TWO** _

Mingyu spent the better half of the next two hours pottering about his suite, exploring details of pictures on the walls, educating himself on the workings of the shower and bath, and unpacking his suitcase of belongings. It truly shouldn’t have been so exciting for the brunette, but the novelty of travelling on his own, for his own purposes and by his own rules filled him with ecstasy that seemed to last. Taking one last glance at his outfit he had changed into, a light blue short-sleeved button down shirt matched with beige trousers and a pair of Stan Smiths, Mingyu threw on a pair of Ray-Bans as a final touch before grabbing his phone and wallet and heading out. 

It was a quarter past one by the time he had hit the streets of the town, now filled with hawkers and shop owners bustling about, and Mingyu was at a loss of where to start. He decided, first, on grabbing a bite to eat at a café not too far from his hotel. Following which, he ordered an iced Americano to-go from the same café, and began a slow but purposeful stroll along the promenade, before deciding on visiting one of the trademark destinations of the town: the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. 

Upon entering the plaza that was laid out in front of the Church, it became clear to Mingyu that one of the most prominent charms of the town was the old construction of buildings, both in design and material; the old stone and architecture seemed to have been lain down in ancient times, though realistically the buildings were likely erected within the last century or two. There was something other-worldly about it, and Mingyu realised that it was his mind constantly comparing such architecture to the modern structures he was so used to witnessing in Seoul that made such age-old buildings appear so unknown. 

Stepping inside, Mingyu took his time to saunter around the main hall of the church, appreciating the tall arches and domed ceilings. It was a weekday afternoon and thus, a vast majority of the dwellers in the church were eager tourists. Majority may not have been the best word choice, however, for the church was close to empty, save for that handful of tourists dispersed within. After snapping a few non-flash photographs of his favourite parts of the building’s interior, Mingyu took a seat in one of the front rows of benches set up in front of an altar. It was at that moment that Mingyu found his thoughts droned out by a faint, yet distinguishable chant that filled the air, possibly coming from a separate, tucked-away room in the church. 

If he would ever encounter God, Mingyu knew it would be during his stay in that quaint sea side town. 

-

Mingyu’s vision grew gradually hazy as he made his way back to the hotel, realising that what seemed to be jet-lag from his long travel there was catching up to him. And with a swipe of his key-card, the tall man barely threw off his shoes before collapsing into the white cotton sheets of his bed. By the time Mingyu woke up, it was dark outside. Flipping his phone over from beside him, he found that it was a little past 8.30 pm. Well, it’s surely going to be a difficult task sleeping tonight, Mingyu thought as he pulled himself off of the queen-sized bed and changed into a shirt that was appropriate for dinner. 

The lift opened on the second floor of the building, where the doors opened out to a restaurant enclosed entirely with glass doors and walls. Dinner patrons, the few of them that inhabited the dining space, seemed well into their main courses, and hearty laughter and jazz music filled the air. Mingyu signalled that he was a party of one to the waiter attending to him, who led him to a seat outside. On the balcony, fairy lights were strung on the same tall house plants that decorated the lobby, but this time, lined the sides of the glass doors like guardians of the restaurant. The white wooden table he was ushered to was lit by a single candle that sat between two place settings. The table was clearly meant for a couple of customers, but the waiter soon removed the other plate and set of cutlery, leaving the diner to deliberate his order alone. Mingyu ordered some wine and the chef’s recommendation of fish, before turning his attention to the view. 

His table in particular had a stunning view of the entire town, now interspersed with light from shops and street-lamps. The ocean waves' ebb and flow was audible from this distance from the sea, and Mingyu sat alone, yet far from lonely, almost transported by the wash of waves over sand and rock, when he heard a familiar low-pitched voice. 

‘Is this seat taken?’ It was Wonwoo, now dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt within, minus the tie. To Mingyu, he epitomised the word ‘dashing,’ with his ebony hair swept back partially, revealing a sliver of his pale forehead. This would be number two in the number of times the slim gentleman had disrupted the regular beating of his heart, if Mingyu was keeping close count. And Mingyu sure as hell was. 

‘Not at all.’ Mingyu got up to welcome the other gentleman, before the pair sat down in tandem. ‘But you don’t have places to be or things to do at this time?’

‘Hardly, the hotel really is quite empty at this period. The peak season for tourists to visit won’t be for another two weeks, perhaps then I’d have more to do.’

‘And what exactly is your job here?’ Mingyu leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. The man across him noticed the quickly diminishing proximity between them, but continued nonetheless.

‘I’m the senior manager of the hotel.’ Wonwoo’s face lit up slightly in a smile, his row of perfect teeth luminous in the dimly lit veranda light. ‘I got promoted just at the beginning of the year.’ 

‘Wow, impressive.’ Mingyu lifted his eyebrows in a smirk. ‘I think that calls for a toast.’ 

When the waiter arrived with his bottle of wine, Mingyu requested for a second glass to be brought to the table, and when it did, the pair of diners clinked their glasses. The gesture seemed to officially establish their companionship for the night. Mingyu asked formally for Wonwoo to join him for the meal, which received a hesitant but eventually conceding acceptance. 

As they consumed their food, Mingyu couldn’t help but be completely absorbed by the way the person across him worded his story. Mingyu, in conversation, learnt from Wonwoo that he had been working at the hotel for close to three years, but was using his free time to explore the coastal area and write. ‘Writing?’ Mingyu questioned, taking a final bite of his fish, which was delectable if not already expected to be.

‘Yeah. It’s kind of a passion project I’m doing. I’ve always loved literature — been my favourite subject in school since the very start — but I only realised my passion for creating it once I hit university. Poetry seemed to offer an escape to me.’ 

Escape. The word vibrated in the mind space of Mingyu. Wonwoo continued to explain a bit more about his writing, that it was a collection of poetry, centred around love and belonging, and that he would eventually move back home after he was satisfied with the quality of the writing. ‘And when would that be?’ 

‘Who knows? I technically finished the draft of the collection a couple of months back, but I can’t seem to come to closure with it just yet. I think I need some more time.’ Wonwoo said, picking up his glass and emptying the last few drops of Burgundy liquid into his mouth. ‘And you? What brings you here, Kim Mingyu?’ 

‘Trust me, I’ve been trying to answer that question too. I was hoping once I’d come here the answer would hit me. But I guess it takes more time than that.’ Mingyu chuckled. He knew his answer seemed vague and quite outrageous. Who takes a trip to find out the reason for taking the trip in the first place? ‘I keep coming back to the same few words: “escape,” “journey,” “discovery.” None of them seem to hit the nail on the head, though.’ 

The tanned-skin man went on to share a bit more from his life, about his childhood spent in Seoul, his years attending business school, and the family business he was slated to take over from his father in a few months. ‘KMY Corporation?’ Wonwoo almost exclaimed out loud. 

‘Yeah, kind of big I guess.’

‘That’s huge! You practically own all the furniture outlets in South Korea!’ Wonwoo continued.

‘ _My father_. My father almost owns all the furniture outlets in South Korea. I am just… just nervous Mingyu.’ Mingyu said. The sides of his mouth were turned up in a smile, but Wonwoo perceived it as one of the saddest sights he’s seen. 

‘Do you want to inherit the company?’

‘I hardly think it’s about what I want.’ Mingyu let out with a laugh, shaking his head from side to side. ‘What I want has never been on the table.’ He watched as his own index finger skimmed along the rim of his glass, eyes glazed and unfocussed.

Wonwoo reached for the second bottle of wine in the bucket of ice, and Mingyu retracted his hands to make way for Wonwoo to refill his empty glass. ‘And what do _you_ want?’ Fox-like eyes were fixed on Mingyu as of that moment. 

Mingyu looked out at the sea. The silver moon shone down to paint a stretch of white light that connected the shore to the horizon. 

_‘I want someone to write me into a different story.’_

-

Sleep, in actual fact, came easier to Mingyu than he thought, to the extent that the tall man was straddling consciousness and unconsciousness as his arm was slung over the narrow shoulders of his shorter dining partner on the way up to his suite. Once in the suite, after a struggle getting Mingyu’s card from within his tight left pocket, Wonwoo placed Mingyu on his bed and removed his shoes for him, before tucking him in. Mingyu barely finished saying ‘thank you’ before he drifted off to sleep. 

The next morning Mingyu awoke to brilliant sunlight that had pushed past the tall windows into his room. He slowly got up from his cushioned confines and began to recollect the night before in his mind while stripping himself of his uncomfortable attire and hopping in the shower. The brunette let the hot water pour down on his entire body, and as it did, drips and drabs of memories from the previous evening came back to him, particularly that of Wonwoo: the way he tucks his hair behind his ear, the bass tones of his laughter, the intensity of his stare. Dream-like and incorporeal. 

Mingyu wrapped a towel around his waist before walking out into the bedroom to check his phone. What caught his attention, instead, was the scrawls of ink on the hotel’s notepad on the nightstand by the bed. A string of numbers with ten words under them.

_**‘When you’re ready for the first chapter, call me. - Won’** _

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Ok wow! It's happening! So, this is my first fanfic written EVER so please don't blame me if it doesn't really suit the style of writing that you're used to / that you'd like for a fanfic. I realised through the process of writing this that I tend to be quite descriptive and indulgent in the way I create atmosphere, I need to pay a bit more attention to moving the plot along and stuff lol. AND character-building -- I need to focus on that too hahaha! But all-in-all, I hope you do enjoy reading this fic! I'm likely to finish it up within the next month or so (I doubt it'll exceed 8-10 chapters), so do keep it in mind and come back to read the following chapters! Do leave comments and enjoy :)))


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